Did Bo Levi Mitchell get over the goal line on third down Sunday It was the pivotal play in a well-deserved 34-29 win by the Calgary Stampeders over the Lions in the West Division final. (CP)

The Calgary Stampeders rode into BC Place on a roll, yet not many were giving them a chance to beat the rested BC Lions at home in the Western Final. The Stampeders controlled the game from start to finish and are heading to the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto, while the Lions are left to ponder a lost opportunity. Here are the season ending thoughts of BCLionsDen.ca blogger Brian Wawryshyn, from the stands.

Strengths were weaknesses

Going into the game I was concerned mainly about the health of our offensive line. I was confident that the defence would do their job and that after a good couple weeks of practice the Lions would have a strong game plan and a high level of execution.

Instead, the offensive line actually wasn’t too bad but the defensive line could garner zero pressure on Kevin Glenn. The secondary had issues on the deep ball and when Jon Cornish was called upon he was effective as well.

On offence the Lions sputtered. They were constantly forced to throw to the check down receiver either because of missed reads or great coverage by the Stampeders. Even if they completed the check down pass, the Stampeders were tackling brilliantly all night, holding the Lions to short gains and putting them in second and long all afternoon.

Kevin Glenn

Make no mistake about it; Kevin Glenn was the star of the show. The Lions had what was probably their only momentum was shifting moment on a first quarter Korey Banks pick six, but other than that Glenn was brilliant. The Lions didn’t register a sack on Glenn, and even when they were able to garner some pressure, Glenn alertly dumped it Cornish out of the backfield or ran himself. His throws were on target and I was very impressed with his performance.

Dickenson’s game plan

Right from the get go Dave Dickenson made it clear what the Stampeders game plan was and that was to take shots downfield. By doing so and having success early he set up Cornish to be successful as well. I just loved his aggressiveness and made me think what could have been had the Lions found a way to get Dickenson on their staff in that brief window before he became an offensive coordinator in Calgary.

Muamba

I was somewhat surprised that the Lions started Cauchy Muamba over J.R. LaRose in this game. Muamba struggled down the stretch and was coming off a late season concussion. I thought LaRose added a more physical element at safety when he was on the field. Unfortunately Muamba appeared to be the responsible party again on the opening drive TD by the Stamps.

Underutilized

The Stampeders handed the ball off to Cornish 18 times. That’s ten more carries than Andrew Harris got although he did lead the team with 10 receptions. I’m not sure why the Lions didn’t give him more touches, especially when Calgary was taking away the long and mid range passes. The Lions have to find a way in the offseason to get Harris the ball more often and more effectively.

Speaking of underutilized, Shawn Gore was thrown to once for a gain of four yards. It was just that kind of day.

Changes coming

With any failure comes evaluation and change. This Lions team has some big decisions to make with receivers, the secondary and improving the offensive line. This was a missed opportunity to do something special and for some there won’t be many more chances. There is promise as well, as some good young players showed this season they have the tools to play regularly.

Onward and upward

It’s been my pleasure and privilege writing these post-game blogs for the Fifth Quarter. It’s made me learn more about the game, and makes me an even bigger fan.

Thanks to Lowell for the space to give my thoughts from a fans point of view, and hopefully we can keep it going next year. For now however, it’s time to head to Toronto and enjoy the party at the 100th Grey Cup before that long offseason starts. You can follow along with the fun by following me on Twitter @BCLionsDen and of course on my blog, BCLionsDen.ca

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